One of five Oregon State players to leave the program early to play professional football; Crichton left early to help support his family (father is disabled but works at a warehouse while his mom is a nurse)

Named Pac-12 Conference second-team and SI.com’s All-America honorable mention last year

Broke school record with 10 career forced fumbles

Finished third in school history with 22.5 career sacks and fourth with 51 career tackles-for-loss

Played defensive end, linebacker and tight end at Henry Foss High in Tacoma, Wash; ranked as the 44th best defensive end prospect in the country by Rivals.com in 2010

On his reaction when the Vikings selected him

Oh man, I don’t even know. My heart was beating, my hands were shaking, and this is unbelievable right now. I am truly blessed, I want to thank Coach Zimmer and the whole coaching staff and faculty for giving me this opportunity.

On how he was best used at Oregon State

Being a pass rusher is how I am best utilized. When I get on the edge, then I go inside. That is my thing, I love to get after the quarterback.

On if he accomplished all of his goals at the college level

At the college no, I think I can improve in a lot of aspects in my game, probably the whole overall of my game. I think I have done a lot though. I am pretty happy, I have no regrets. But there are things that can be better.

Matt Vensel is in his first year at the Star Tribune after covering the Ravens for the Baltimore Sun for six years. He is a Pittsburgh native and a Penn State grad. Follow him at @mattvensel.

Mark Craig has covered the NFL for 23 years, and the Vikings since 2003 for the Star Tribune. He is one of 44 Pro Football Hall of Fame selectors. Follow him at @markcraignfl.

Master Tesfatsion is the Star Tribune’s digital Vikings writer. He is a 2013 graduate of Arizona State and worked for mlb.com before arriving in Minneapolis. Follow him at @masterstrib.